Midwest Meanderings

To get my husband to go on vacations with me, I try to plan for destinations that have things he would enjoy. So being a farmer, the last three summer flings have included trips to Iowa and Illinois, and I think we've seen just about every single John Deere plant in the Midwest.   


As we headed to Ankeny, Iowa,  for a tour of the JD Des Moines Works plant we had to stop in Le Claire for a look-see at the new building at Antique Archaeology (our third visit to the store made famous on American Pickers).  

We then headed up to Bloomington, Minnesota to cross off an item on my bucket list.  I've always wanted to see the Mall of America and see how big it is. 

Sure it is big, but I guess I wasn't in the mood to shop, because all I bought was a souvenir t-shirt.  Got a LOT of walking in though!

Onward to our next stop in the Wisconsin Dells.  Beautiful area!

Highly recommend taking a tour on the Original Wisconsin Ducks and the Jet Boat tour.  So much fun!  

As we headed towards home we made a little pit stop in Roscoe, IL to visit the Historic Auto Attractions museum.

This is a MUST SEE.  A lot of history here and amazing celebrity vehicles. I was highly impressed with it.  I've already started surfing for ideas for our next adventure.  He's even already given me hints on what section of the states to look next.  Quack, quack!

Iowa Trip

Twilight Riverboat

A friend had told me about a Mississippi Riverboat cruise that she and her husband had gone on that piqued my interest a little bit.  When she added that the Antique Archaeology store was in the town where you board the boat, I knew it was something we had to do.
My husband being a farmer, I was able to talk him into going on the boat ride so long as we go tour the John Deere combine factory while in the area.  So I booked our passage on the Twilight Riverboat that departed Le Claire, Iowa and headed north on the Mississippi river to Dubuque, Iowa.  The price included an overnight stay at the Grand Harbor Resort in Dubuque, then the next day heading back down south to Le Claire. 


Bridge outside the Grand Harbor Resort
in Dubuque

 

The cruise is about a 9 hour ride each day, so if you have a problem sitting still, it probably isn't for you.  My husband started complaining "What am I going to do for that long, stuck on a boat?"  I told him to sit back and relax, enjoy some down-time before it's time to start the rush of harvest.   Well, I made sure to have some magazines and puzzle books to do, but he never even touched them.  He was content to just sit and watch the scenery or go up to the top and bother the captain occasionally. 



The staff were all great and friendly, they served lunch and dinner and a snack in-between, played bingo and provided local musical talents.  We even enjoyed a cocktail or two from the bar on the 3rd deck. 

Getting back to Le Claire, I did not tell my husband that the American Pickers store was located there.  Happy to say I was able to keep that a surprise until we pulled into their parking lot. It is such a good feeling when you can surprise someone and they look so pleased or tickled.  Anyway, if you get the chance, Le Claire is a wonderful place to visit.  Besides the Pickers' store you'll want to check out the Mississippi River Distilling Co. and the Buffalo Bill Museum.   We had lunch at the Crane & Pelican cafe,   and a great pizza at Happy Joes. 

Since he held up his part of the bargain, we continued on our trip to Moline, Illinois and checked out the John Deere Pavilion and store, did the Harvestworks combine tour, then headed up to Waterloo, Iowa (last minute plans) to tour the Tractorworks plant. 




I think hubby enjoyed the whole trip and is relaxed and ready to tackle harvest.  Although with drought conditions this year, afraid there won't be much of a 'harvest' to enjoy any profit.